


They Don't Know About Us

by QueenoftheDustPeople



Series: Lirrieverse [2]
Category: Little Mix (Band), One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2016-01-14
Packaged: 2018-05-13 20:30:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5716069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenoftheDustPeople/pseuds/QueenoftheDustPeople
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the midst of another terrible article from The Sun, Perrie finds solace in her girls and her boyfriend, even if he doesn't know how to Snapchat correctly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	They Don't Know About Us

"I just don't understand," Perrie sobs into the ugly, scratchy throw pillow on the hotel sofa. Her computer is open a few feet away, still showing the article from The Sun that's currently ripped her world into pieces.

 

_Does Perrie Edwards Only Know One Direction for Promo? Little Mix Star Steps Out with Liam Payne_

 

_It would seem that the British music world is more incestuous than anyone could have guessed. Only three months after former One Direction member Zayn Malik ended their engagement, Little Mix's Perrie Edwards, 22, was spotted stepping out of a London bar with One Direction's Liam Payne, who ended his long-time relationship with former girlfriend Sophia Smith in October._

 

_With the release of Little Mix's newest single, Secret Love Song, one can't help but wonder if the announcement of this relationship is a sly effort to give the band a boost in promotion. After all, the relationship between Edwards and Malik scored headlines across the UK every time the pair stepped out. This pairing is no exception. Would Little Mix be so daring as to make the same play yet again for press?_

 

_An insider, speaking exclusively with The Sun, revealed that Edwards and Payne met in early November when both were promoting their bands' new music. "Watching Jesy [Nelson] plan her wedding was driving Perrie absolutely mad. When Liam became single, she set her eyes on him as a potential replacement for Zayn. And the passion was explosive," the source admits, "Neither of them cared who got in the way."_

 

_The insider also told The Sun that Malik, who has been living in Los Angeles as he works on a much anticipated solo album, is said to be furious. "He never thought that his former fiancé and his best friend would ever betray him like this. He's already written three songs about the situation that will portray [Edwards and Payne] in a new and very unflattering light," the source reveals._

 

_With One Direction fractured internally [see here for article] and about to take a hiatus, one has to wonder Edwards will be toting Payne out for any more appearances as Little Mix continues their promotional schedule on the lead up to the Get Weird tour. Our source says that Payne is so infatuated with the Little Mix songstress that "he's already thinking about putting his potential solo career on hold so he can spend time with her. He's had multiple labels calling for interest and keeps putting them off."_

 

_There's no telling what One Direction fans would think about Payne putting off his career for love, but the press that will come from his relationship with Edwards is inevitable. The question of how long it will last or who stands to profit the most is yet to be seen._

 

"This is absolutely _ridiculous,"_ Jesy snaps, pulling the pillow away from Perrie's face. Before she can snatch it back, Jesy's pulling Perrie's head into her lap, "I don't know why that arse thinks he can just print bullshit like that."

 

"It's not _true,"_ Perrie whimpers, rubbing her swollen eyes.

 

"Course it's not, we know that," Jade adds from her spot on the floor. She and Leigh Anne are both on their phones, "We also know that Wootton doesn't care if what he's writing is true or not." Perrie's ears are ringing so much that she can barely understand Jade.

 

"Look, Pez, this person on Twitter says that it's all obvious bullshit and that you and Liam are cute together. She even used five hearts and two of those little couple emojis," Leigh holds her phone out. Perrie sniffles at the screen. That is a lot of emojis.

 

Jesy combs her fingers through Perrie's hair, "I hope I never see that little weasel at any event."

 

"You know that I wasn’t upset about you and Jake, Jes! I never would be, I," Jesy pinches her lips shut.

 

"Don't be an idiot, Pez, of course you weren't."

 

"Who was that source anyway? Someone Zayn knows?" Leigh asks.

 

Jade scoffs, "More like someone that tosser made up, I'm sure. I mean, ultimate betrayal?" She scoffs again, turning back to her phone. Perrie bites her lip. The whole idea of this being a betrayal has been in the back of her mind since Liam asked her out. She doesn't _think_ it is; after all, it's not like Zayn and Liam are even close anymore. And she knows that Liam is the type of person that would _care_ about that sort of thing, not crossing a friend, so the fact that he doesn't should mean that everything is okay.

 

But it doesn't _feel_ okay, not one little bit. Perrie sniffles again, pressing her face into Jesy's leggings. Jesy clucks her tongue, working her fingers through Perrie's hair quicker. "Look, Pez, here's another girl! She says if Dan ever comes to Mexico she'll fight him and then asks us to come too," Leigh holds out her phone again.

 

"We going to Mexico to fight him too?" Jade asks.

 

"I'd fight him anywhere honestly," Jesy says. Perrie's phone lights up on the table; she hates how much her hand shakes as she reaches for it. There's a snapchat notification from Liam's personal snapchat. As always, his username "FuckSpoons" makes her snort.

 

"'s Liam," she croaks, gingerly sitting up, "How do I look?"

  
"Good!" "You look fine, Pez!" "Beautiful!" the girls all chirp in unison.

 

Perrie scowls, "Honestly!"

 

All the girls pause for a moment. Finally Jade holds out the tissue box, "You're just a little bit puffy, that's all. Liam won't care."

 

"Girls, let's get some food. How about some chocolate, Pez? Maybe some wine too?" Jesy says as she stands up, "Or do you want something harder?"

 

Perrie shakes her head, fixing her hair as much as possible, "Wine is fine. Just get a few bottles." Her three best friends--fuck, she couldn't have gotten through this whole _year_ without them--leave the hotel room. Once the door is shut, Perrie sighs and opens Snapchat.

 

"Pez, I just wanted to tell you that that Sun article is absolute shit. They don't know anything about us and," the image stops. Perrie can't help but smile; for someone who uses Snapchat as much as Liam does, he always forgets that it's terrible for long messages.

 

"-and you shouldn't pay them any attention. That whole thing is just _ridiculous._ I can't believe that-"

 

"-he thinks he could get away with writing shit like that. It's absolute trash, that's all it is and-"

 

"-there's nothing for you to even think about. I'm gonna say something, I have to, because that just-"

 

"-isn't fucking acceptable no matter what," Liam takes a deep, focused breath and then frowns at the camera, "You're perfect, Pez, and _we're_ perfect, not some sort of bloody publicity stunt." He blows a kiss to the camera. Perrie laughs through tears and hits the reply button.

 

"Li, you _fucker,_ don't you remember the Snapchat time limit? Honestly, you use it so damn much-"

  
"Look at me, doing it too. Anyway, thank you. I know it's bullshit but it just really hurt, I guess." She pauses after hitting send and then fires up another one. "I miss you a lot, Li. And you don't know how much it means to me that you sent me this," she sends that one too and then sits back on the sofa, curling her legs up to her chest.

 

It doesn't take long for a reply to pop up. Liam's sitting now, giving her the chance to recognize the place as his flat. There are voices in the background too but they sound like they're in a different room. "I know, I know, I'm sorry. You'd think I'd know how it works by now-"

 

"-but here I am," he shrugs, "I miss you too, Pez, more than I think you know. I'll try to-"

 

"fly out soon, maybe, though who knows what that will look like?" he finishes with a scowl and follows it up with a picture titled "So ridiculous." She recognizes that tight jaw and the set look in his dark eyes.

 

She fires up her reply, "Don't feel like you have to, Li. Especially if you think it will look weird." She has to balance her phone on her legs to send him back a photo of her hands in a heart captioned "Really do miss you."

 

There's no response for a few minutes, long enough for the panic to start building in her chest again. Her phone buzzes with a text this time. _Hold on, love, have to do something._ They haven't said I love you yet, probably sensible since they've barely been dating for two months, but Liam already calls her "love" and Perrie is already getting fluttery every time. She might love him. For about a month after Zayn left her, she thought she'd never love again. Then Liam came in and Perrie's thinking that that might not be true after all.

 

Her phone buzzes again with a Snapchat but instead of Liam's face, she gets Harry and Niall smushed together into the frame. "PERRIE!" Niall shouts, slurring her name.

 

"We heard about what happened, Pez, and that's a load of crap," Harry adds, equally slurred but far lazier. She can tell that he's got his arm around Niall's shoulders (which is something she's still getting used to).

 

"How drunk are you two? You look outright smashed," she replies, following it with her best motherly glare.

 

"We're not that bad!" Niall squawks in his reply even as Harry's giving the camera a half smirk and adding, "We're pretty smashed, Pez."

 

"I can tell. And thank you for the support, boys. Means a lot to me and probably Liam," she wants to be having this conversation somewhere other than Snapchat like Facetime but she'll wait for Liam to reclaim his phone before doing that.

 

"I can't believe that that bloke writes shit like that!" Niall says in the next snap. Harry rolls his eyes, adding a quick, "Easy for you to say, Niall, he doesn't write about you," before the snap ends. Before Perrie can think up some reply about how right Harry is (or how the two of them should be hunkering down for the articles coming their way at some point), another snap comes.

 

Now it's Liam again but she can see Harry and Niall in the background looking particularly close. She hugs herself tighter to make up for the cold that seems to be crunching down on her. "Sorry, Pez, we ordered food and the delivery guy came," he follows it with a picture of a variety of sushi and then says, "and I thought these two were too drunk to answer the door."

 

She replies with a picture of her doing her best smile and captions it "Facetime?" A few seconds later, a facetime call from Liam bounces up onto her screen.

 

"Hey love," Liam says, voice crackling through the speakers. He's in a different room now though Harry and Niall's voices are still there.

 

"Sorry, I just thought that a whole conversation through Snapchat might be a bit irritating. Especially with your tendency to say really long messages," Liam sticks his tongue out at her. "Um, thank you for saying something though. I didn't know if you'd seen it and I didn't want to bring it up," she adds quietly.

 

Liam sighs, "No, I saw it. It was all over my Twitter. It's utter rubbish, Pez, utter fucking _rubbish."_

 

Perrie hums, looking down at her lap, "You don't, uh, think that the part about… _him_ is true, do you?"

 

Liam is quiet for a moment, "Erm, I don't _think_ so." There's another long pause, long enough for her to look back up at her screen, "Honestly, Perrie, even if he did feel that way, I don't think I'd care. We're our own people and he isn't in the picture anymore." Her throat closes up for a moment but then she just feels like she can breathe again.  

 

"Good," she licks her lips, "I worry about it sometimes even though I know I shouldn't."

 

"'s alright, Perrie, I know what you mean," he murmurs. She just nods, wishing that she could jump through the screen and be in his arms. He gives the best hugs, ones that pull all the edges of her world together in one instant, tied with a bow in the form of his cologne and the gentle kiss he always plants on her temple. The thought has her tearing up again. "Perrie?!" Liam asks, pulling the phone closer to his face. She shakes her head, reaching for the tissues again.

 

"I'm sorry! Fuck, I'm sorry, Li, I just," she blows her nose, "I miss you."

 

"Miss you too, Pez," Liam says gently. He presses his hand to his lips and then the screen. She shudders through another sob but does the same thing. "Remember that you're perfect, okay? And that what we have is perfect," she nods tightly, trying to not burst into tears so loud she thinks she'll break the phone's microphone. "Do you want me to come visit? I can and I don't care what anyone would write about it," he adds. She watches his full lips form the words just to make it feel _real._

 

Finally she nods. She wants to see him, to actually have him here so her world can fall completely into place. Her girls have most of it down but Liam will pull those last stray pieces back together. "Yeah, I do, please," she can't remember the last time she felt so guilty asking for something. Though Zayn made her feel guilty plenty of times when he was the one that had fucked up in the first place.

 

"I'll get a flight then, figure something out," in the background, Harry hoots his name and Niall shouts something about "coming before Haz eats all the bloody sushi."

 

"You should go eat, Li. The girls will be back soon and I think I'll be okay," that's a half lie but it'll have to do for now.

 

Liam nods, "Okay. I'll let you know when I've figured things out. I, erm, I miss you, Perrie." She feels like that's supposed to be something more.

 

"I miss you too," it's something more for her too but the right words won't leave her throat the way she wants them to. Liam blows another kiss to the camera that she returns before hanging up. Perrie sighs, tilting her head back against the wall and staring up at the textured ceiling. She does feel a little better now.

 

She tilts her head back up and stares at her laptop screen. The article is still there, practically screaming at her louder than any audience ever could. She hears voices she knows almost better than her own coming down the hall and then the key card is beeping in the door. "You're wrong," she whispers to her computer before shutting the website, "and we're going to prove it." The door opens and she puts on her best smile as she turns to her three sisters, "Ladies, I hope you brought enough chocolate for yourselves because I think I could devour a whole Cadbury factory."

"Psh, I can't believe you're doubting us, Pez!" Jesy says as all three of them hold up bags. Perrie's smile gets a little wider.

 

"Did you get to talk to Liam? Are things better?" Jade asks as they dump all their goods on the floor.

  
"Yeah I did and things are. Things are better," she glances at her phone, where a single text from Liam with a heart emoji is blinking on her screen, "Things are much better."


End file.
